How quickly the Royal Sovereigns eclipsed Benbow

Benbow’s career shows the pace of late nineteenth-century naval development. Laid down in 1882 and completed in 1888, she was soon overtaken by the Royal Sovereign class, whose ships were laid down from 1889 and offered a different level of capability. The Royal Sovereigns mark the transition from ironclads to balanced pre-dreadnought battleships, so Benbow’s obsolescence reflects a change of design era rather than a small incremental improvement. The discussion then contrasts the Royal Navy’s long preference for 13.5-inch guns with HMS Dreadnought’s later return to twelve-inch weapons.